1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to integrated circuit (IC) die encapsulation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Carriers are utilized for supporting IC die during encapsulation processes in the manufacture of packaged integrated circuits. With some processes, IC die are attached to a carrier with tape or other types of attaching structures. A mold is placed around the IC die where encapsulate is then applied to the die with the tape defining the bottom surface of the mold outside of the die. After the encapsulant has been cured, the carrier is removed from the encapsulated structure by heating the tape to soften the adhesives of the tape. The tape is then removed from the encapsulated structure.
One problem with heating the tape for carrier removal is that the heat applied to the encapsulated structure may cause the die to drift from a desired location within the encapsulated structure.
In other carrier removal processes, the adhesive of the tape may be degraded by applying Ultra Violet (UV) radiation to the tape. However, with these processes, the UV degradable adhesive on the tape may not function adequately after being subjected to the curing temperatures of the encapsulation processes.
What is needed is an improved method for packaging an integrated circuit die.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates identical items unless otherwise noted.